The cat
by Immortal Spud Thief
Summary: One-shot. Based on the cat comment in "Run" yesterday. Harry has a very frequent visitor who helps him in a way.


Harry sighed as he walked into his house after a long day at work, he had had a small argument with Nikki about something to do with their case, it was so small an insignificant that he had forgotten what they had argued about. But now he was feeling immensely guilty for starting said argument, that much he knew. Harry walked through to his kitchen and poured water into the kettle before turning it on. He turned quickly when he heard scratching at his back door and rolled his eyes, a smile spreading over his face as he walked over to it, knowing exactly who it was. Harry opened the door and instantly a smoky grey cat trotted into the room like it owned the place.

"Just like clockwork" Harry muttered and sighed as the cat jumped up onto the kitchen table "No don't sit there. Great, I'm talking to a cat"

He walked over and gently picked the creature up and held it in front of his face.

"Not on the table" he told it slowly but the cat just reached out with a small paw and batted a floppy piece of Harry's hair that had fallen in front of his face. Harry sighed loudly. "Well it looks like I'm not going to get rid of you anytime soon is it?"

Harry then put the cat down on the floor and it looked up at Harry expectantly. For the third time in a few minutes, Harry sighed. He then walked over to a cupboard and opened it, before pulling out a can of cat food, remembering how small and frail the beautiful cat had been when she, for Harry had checked, had turned up at his back door a few months before. Harry then put the foot on a plate and then put it on the floor, the cat practically jumped on it and began to devour it greedily. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You know if you're going to stick around I'm going to have to name you aren't I?" Harry muttered as he sat down at his kitchen table and stared at the cat. Then a grin spread over his face "Nikki, I think I'll call you Nikki. Just because it will annoy her that I have named a stray cat after her"

Said cat turned and looked at Harry as if knowing she was being talked to, she then licked her lips and trotted over to Harry and jumped onto his lap. Harry absentmindedly ran his hands through her fur, smiling as he heard and felt her purr.

"You know I feel really guilty about the argument Nikki and I had today" Harry started telling the cat on his lap, almost oblivious to the fact that he was in fact talking to a cat. "I was horrible to her because I thought I was right, when really I knew I was wrong but I didn't want Nikki to know that" Nikki the cat sat up and started to clean her paws "She's very beautiful" Harry then added and a smile spread over his face "and she has a great personality, she can always make me laugh, she always there for me, she's intelligent, she's witty, she doesn't take any nonsense from anyone, especially men" he paused and blushed slightly when he realised who he was talking about "However she only thinks of me as a friend, and that makes me sad" he then realised that he was talking to Nikki the cat in what could only be described as a voice people use to talk to babies and young children. "Bloody hell I need to go out more"

Nikki the cat just yawned and lay down again, her tail twitching slightly as she closed her eyes. This really wasn't how Harry imagined Nikki falling asleep on his lap.

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Once again, when Harry came home the next day, he let Nikki the cat in and this time after eating her food, she walked over to the armchair and jumped up on the seat, circling a few times before lying down and closing her eyes. Harry just shook his head, followed her through to the living room, and sat himself on the sofa, wondering if it would be a good idea to get some more items for this addition to his house. Harry smirked suddenly when he thought about Nikki's reaction to a cat being named after her.

A few hours later and there was a knock at the door and Harry got up from his seat and walked to the door, absentmindedly wondering where Nikki the cat had gone. He opened the door and saw Leo standing on his doorstep.

"Sorry to disturb you Harry, but do you have the case file for the Dawson case?" Leo asked as Harry stepped back and allowed him to enter his house.

"Yeah they're upstairs" Harry nodded "I'll just get them"

Leo then walked into the living room to wait for the younger man as he walked quickly up the stairs. The next thing he heard was Harry's loud voice.

"Nikki get out of the bath, oh yeah, go and lay on my bed"

Leo paused and raised an eyebrow before coughing and rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Harry then walked back into the living room carrying a folder and shaking his head. Leo just took the folder and thanked him before Harry showed him out of his house.

"Bloody cat" Harry muttered to himself.

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"You know what?" Harry, a few days later, asked Nikki who was sitting next to him "Life isn't fair" Nikki just looked at him and cocked her head to one side. "I mean it's easy for you, you go out at night and get laid by some horny male then come back home to a nice warm house with food and drink" Nikki raised her paw and licked it. "Yeah, but me, I try my hardest to show my feelings for Nikki, the other Nikki I mean not you, you're a cat" Harry took a large gulp of his beer and emptied the glass before putting it on the table. "but no, she doesn't feel the same way for me"

There was a loud knock on the door, Harry glanced over his shoulder, after a few seconds the person knocked again, and Harry sighed before standing up. Walking through the hallway, he opened the door and grinned when he saw his blonde best friend and the owner of his heart (Harry made a mental note that he got soppy when he was tipsy) standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Hello" he smiled and moved away from the door to let Nikki, the real Nikki this time, into his house "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Can't I come and see my best friend?" Nikki asked coyly as she walked into the living room, Harry following closely behind her "Oh hello" she grinned as she saw the smoky gray cat who was sitting on the sofa, still cleaning her paws. "Aren't you beautiful?" she asked the cat and Harry rolled his eyes at her 'baby voice'. Nikki walked over to the sofa and gently scooped the cat into her arms, Harry went to warn her that the last time he had tried that the blasted thing had scratched his arms to high heaven. However the cat just purred contentedly as Nikki scratched the cat behind her ears. "When did you get a cat?"

"She's a stray" Harry shrugged "She just wouldn't leave me alone"

"Well at least one female appreciates your company" Nikki joked and Harry laughed sarcastically and hit her on the arm as he passed. "What's her name?"

Harry paused and shrugged.

"Haven't named her"

"Liar" Nikki giggled "Yes you have, you've got attached to her. What's her name?"

"Nikki" Harry muttered

"Yes?"

"No, her name is..Nikki" he mumbled and picked up the empty beer can and glass before walking into the kitchen to dispose of them.

"You named the cat after me?" Nikki asked as she followed him into the kitchen, Nikki the cat still in her arms "I don't know whether to be offended or not"

"Don't be" Harry shrugged "She's a beautiful cat"

Nikki, who had been looking down at the purring cat in her arms, looked up at Harry suddenly but he still had his back to her. She just smiled.

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It had been a few years since the stray cat had made it's way into Harry's life but Harry wouldn't admit to anyone that he had got attached to her even more, especially after one of her nights out which she came back pregnant.

"Aww they're so cute" Nikki cooed over the tiny kittens that were currently suckling from Nikki the cat who was curled up in her basket by the fire in the living room. Nikki was the only one that Nikki the cat allowed near her and her kittens and had scratched and hissed at Harry when he had tried to feed her. Harry, who was sitting on the sofa reading the paper, just rolled his eyes.

"If you say so" he replied and Nikki smirked as she stood up and walked over to him, before sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "You know if people actually took their male cats to be snipped, this wouldn't have happened"

Nikki rolled her eyes and stood up with a groan before walking over to the sofa and sitting herself next to Harry who put the paper down and turned to her.

"Do you want to get snipped?" she asked suddenly and Harry couldn't help but wince slightly and shake his head vigorously "Well don't force it on the poor cats"

"Yes dear" Harry grinned as he leant over and kissed his wife on the lips "So is there something you want to tell me?"

Nikki took his hand and placed it on her stomach, tears in her eyes and a grin on her face.

* * *

**It just had to be done! :D**


End file.
